The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1890-07 - 1890-08

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XIX.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING    THE   WRONG.
MMIU'.KS   7-8.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBBASKA.
JULY-AUGUST, 1890.
FIFTY CENTS PEE YEAB.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education '. We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The result of which is American Citizenship!
And the Gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation.
The term of service of Charles
Hill as United States Indian Agent
at Santee Agency,came to an honorable close July 1. He had served in
this capacity four years and seven
months. Before that he had filled
with credit the places of Assistant
Carpenter and Sawyer one year;
Carpenter,seven years; Farme"r,one
year; Superintendent of Industries
on the Agency, one year and two
months; and then that of Agent as
above; making in all a continuous
service, under the Indian Department at this place, of sixteen years
and nine months. We know of no
better illustration of a true civil
service than this. His marked
success as Indian Agent has come
chiefly from his capital of knowledge and experience gained in all
his former grades of service. In his
retirement the United States will
lose a faithful and efficient officer.
We are glad to note that we shall
still have Mr. Hill for a neighbor.
He takes an interest in the Bank
of Springfield, Springfield, S. D.,
across the river from us, and will
be its cashier.
Thus closes the service of the Society of Friends in charge of this Agency. Twenty-three years ago they
took charge under Grant's "Peace
Policy;" and the Agents of their
nomination have been Asa Janney,
Joseph Webster, Charles Searing,
Isaiah Lightner and Charles Hill.
Their administration, on the whole,
has been a success, and chiefiyforthe
reason that there has been one continuous policy followed out, and the
results of experience have not been
so utterly wasted as they have at
most other Indian Agencies. It is
rather an anomaly that one of the
most efficient of all their Agents
was an old soldier, Maj. Isaiah
Lightner, whose wounds incurred
in the war of the rebellion, finally
compelled him to give up the Indian work.
Commissioner Morgan has issued
a very suggestive "Course of Study
for Indian Schools." It shows that
it is by the hand of a master of pedagogics. It shows also that he does
not yet know the material he is
dealing with. When the next edition is issued there will be a considerable scaling down of the work
attempted. For instance the study
of the Third Beader will disappear from the fourth year's course.
And when you come to the advanced grade course the changes
will be many more. In laying out
this advanced grade the Commissioner seems to go on the supposition that the pupils really understand the English language because
they can now name the words in
a Third Beader and can chatter
a little common talk. But the
"course of study" is full of helpful
suggestions. Every teacher of an
Indian school should have a copy
and study it. We presume that it
can be had on application to the
Commissioner.
AMONG THE YANKTONS AND
YANKTONAIS.
The spiritual reformation among
the Yanktons goes on with accelerated speed. Quietly but deeply
and powerfully the Spirit of the
Lord is moving among this people.
The chains of idolatry are dropping
from these long-imprisoned souls,
and the weak eyes are being accustomed to the glorious light of the
Sun of Righteousness. Among
1800 Yankton Indians we have
three organized churches and a
fourth preaching station. The
Episcopalians are doing about the
same amount of work. There were
also last winter about the same
number of dance-houses. The
dancers seem to know their time is
short, and in tlieir zeal have reclaimed some of our converts, to
our sorrow. However, the Lord
is stronger than they, and more
conversions have occurred than
during any year since the work
here was commenced. There have
been added on profession to Yankton Agency church 29, to Hill
church 29 and to Cedar church 4,
making 62 among the Yanktons.
This brings our total membership
among them up to 298. Oh that
the churches might grow as rapidly in grace and knowledge ! Pastor
Selwyn has been kept very busy.
I have preached generally three
times a week, and our ruling elders
have conducted many meetings.
The Lord has raised up for us a
noble body of elders, four in Yankton Agency church, three in Hill
church and two in Cedar. In order that they may receive strength
for their work, I call them all in
on Tuesdays, and after prayer we
spend the afternoon in studying
the Scriptures, and I also deliver a
lecture on theology, homiletics or
some theme connected with their
work.
Our school work among the
Yanktons the past year consisted
of the Agency day school taught by
Miss Hunter, which was kept up
the full school year, and also three
winter schools at the different out-
stations, which were kept up about
three months each and were taught
by some of our best-educated
young men of the tribe. Notwithstanding the fact that a large number of children were gathered up
for boarding schools, the attendance at our day schools was as
large as usual, or larger, showing
that the time has not yet come to
give up this work entirely. As we
have no boarding-school of our
own, we send a number of our pupils from our churches to Santee
Normal Training School. There
are twenty-seven from the Yankton
churches now in that school. A-
bout forty children connected with
our churches are in the Agency
Government boarding school. They
attend our church meetings and
Sabbath school, and the relations
between the Government school
and the church have been pleasant
and satisfactory. There are also
quite a number of children from
our churches in different eastern
schools, and the work done by
many of these schools will be of
great value to our church work.
In regard to the work in Montana : We have a field with nearly
two thousand souls, over that if
we count the whites, at the present
time without any minister of the
gospel. We occupied it with a
missionary for nearly ten years.
It is our field. No other Protestant denomination is there or expects to be. The Catholics are
talking of commencing. If the
government would pay the expense
I have no doubt they would. If
we occupy the field and the government refuses to put them in charge
of its educational work, I do not
think they will do much there.
Those two thousand souls then are
dependent on us for the bread of
life. Some of them are desirous
to receive it. I do not think as a
body they are as much opposed to
receiving it as the world was opposed to receiving our Lord Jesus
when he came to earth. We cannot lightly neglect them. I have
no doubt of the duty of our Church
to send them an ordained missionary this summer.-—Rev. J. P. Williamson in the Church at Home and
A broad.
INDIANS TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
It is the prime purpose of the
present administration of Indian
Affairs to bring the Indian schools
into relation with the public schools
of the several states and territories
in which Indian reservations are
located, as rapidly as practicable.
To this end I am modeling the
schools under my supervision after
the public schools as far as possible.
In most of the states and territories where there are Indians, some
of them are located  among   the
i white settlers,    and white settle-
i ments generally surround the reservations.  I deem it extremely desirable that, wherever practicable,
the children of Indians residing on
reservations or among the whites
be induced to  attend the   public
schools.    They will learn the ways
I of civilization, and accpiire the lan-
| guage much more rapidly if associ-
j ated with white children in the pub-
i lie schools than in any other way.
These Indians pay no taxes, and
in many instances are either too
poor or too indifferent to place their
children in school.
Many school districts adjacent to
Indian reservations or containing
Indian alloted lands are prevented
from maintaining schools by the
presence of the Indians who do not
contribute in any way toward the
I support of such schools.
i In order especially that the Indians
who break up their tribal relations
and settle upon alloted lands may
haveopportunities of educatingtheir
children, and»as an inducement to
white settlers to invite Indian children to their schools and assist them
to acquire the rudiments of an English education, I would be pleased
to have you inform school officers
and others interested that the Indian
office is ready to enter into contracts
with the school district officers or
other properly qualified representatives of school districts for the tuition of Indian children at a rate of.
$10 per quarter,based upon the average attendance of Indian children
during the quarter.  Out of this $10
per quarter the school districts will
be expected to supply necessary text
books to the Indian children. The
school district will contract distinctly to give to each Indian child all the
opportunities and attention which
are given to the white children attending the school, and so far as
possible prevent tlieir white playmates from ridiculing them or in
any way discouraging them or preventing tlieir progress.
The government contributes this
$10 per quarter directly for the
purpose of benefiting the children
of the Indian, its wards, for whose
education the national government
is responsible. The fact that this
is likewise a benefit to school districts having Indian citizens or adjacent to Indian reservations must
not be lost sight of. I feel that the
whites of such localities are as much
interested in this plan of educating
the Indian children as the Indians
are themselves, not only because
of the money received, but especially because the Indians thus
brought into the public schools and
into pleasant relationship with
white children will the more readily
become fitted for good citizenship.
I trust that you will co-operate with
this office in the work of bringing
these ignorant little ones into contact with our Christian civilization
through the public schools.
Very Respectfully,
T. J. Morgan,Commissioner.
In The Spirit of Missions the Rev.
Charles S. Cook, a native presbyter
of the Sioux Indians, pays the following tribute to two worthy veterans of another communion who long
ago devoted tlieir lives to the good
of the North American Indians, and
whose works cannot be forgotten
while the Dakota language is spoken among men:
Among the many good-producing
agencies brought to bear upon the
Dakotas, overwhelmingly the best
and the greatest are the Sacred
Scriptures, the Book of Common
Prayer, and the dear old Songs of
the Church, given in a "language
understanded of the people." But
here, "Honor to whom honor is due."
May God abundantly reward in the
day of reckoning his two faithful
servants who gave us the Holy
Scriptures in our own tongue, thus
helping to make us what we now
are, and what we will be under his
blessing. Would that there were
another Riggs and another Williamson to translate the Scriptures
into all the principal vernaculars
of this country's dusky wards I—
From Bible Society Record.
The cottage for the Superintendent of our Printing Department is
now completed as far as required
for present uses. It is a tasty little
building, with four rooms, pantry
and closet on first floor, and two
commodious chambers above yet
unfinished. James C. Plant, of
Minneapolis, is the architect, and
Reuben Cash, of Niobrara, the
builder. The cost so far is about
$1200, of which $536.59 has been
met from special contributions for
this purpose, leaving $660 yet to
be provided.